Rob Cornilles, candidate for U.S. Congress for Oregon’s 1st congressional district, will speak at a special Emerging Local Government Leaders (ELGL) meeting on January 5, 2012 at Café Allegro in Tigard. RSVP to oregonelgl@gmail.com.

The Hillsboro Police Department is taking applications for its citizens academy, which is scheduled to begin early next year. The 12-week academy, which starts Feb. 2, is designed to teach residents about the role of police officers in the community, said Lt. Mike Rouches, a Hillsboro police spokesman. Classes are held every Thursday from 6:30-10 p.m. at the main police station, at 250 S.E. 10th Ave. Applications are due Jan. 19.

Whether it was a public relations headache, a major management meltdown or disagreements that prompted weeks of uncertainty, federal agencies and top goverment officials provided plenty of fodder this year for their critics — and the news media.

Imagine a man named Jim. He’s applying for a job at Google. Jim knows that the odds are stacked against him. Google receives a million job applications a year. It’s estimated that only about 1 in 130 applications results in a job. By comparison, about 1 in 14 high-school students applying to Harvard gets accepted.

Jim’s first interviewer is late and sweaty: He’s biked to work. He starts with some polite questions about Jim’s work history. Jim eagerly explains his short career. The interviewer doesn’t look at him. He’s tapping away at his laptop, taking notes. “The next question I’m going to ask,” he says, “is a little unusual.”

You are shrunk to the height of a nickel and thrown into a blender. Your mass is reduced so that your density is the same as usual. The blades start moving in 60 seconds. What do you do?

Occupy Portland reportedly did $85,000 in damage during its 39-day stay in Lownsdale and Chapman squares-—this according to the Parks & Recreation Bureau. But a retired Parks Bureau plumber challenges those numbers.

The bipartisan commission mapping new districts for state and congressional lawmakers announced Tuesday they had agreed on new congressional district lines but won’t reveal the details until Wednesday.